Rainbow Six Siege has never been better. Over a year after release, the game continues to receive free updates from Ubisoft to add new maps, operators, and weapons. If you’re new to the game and looking for advice, we’ve rounded up some of the top tips and tricks so you can catch up to longtime players.

I’ve sunk over 400 hours into Siege and am learning all the time. That said, there are a number of basics that you should know before hitting the battlefield to ensure that you’re a valuable asset to your team.

If you think we’ve missed an important tip for new players, please be sure to let us know in the comments below.

1. Play the Situations

There’s no single-player campaign, unlike in the recent shooter Sniper Elite 4, but the next best thing are the Situations. There are 11 different missions to play through, each built to help you get to grips with some of the maps and operators. While each has its own objective, be it killing all the terrorists or extracting the hostage, there’s also three challenges per Situation designed to increase your skill.

Some challenges require you to perform a certain amount of headshots, finish the mission without losing much health, or use your operator’s gadget in a particular way. Each challenge that you complete will earn you 200 Renown (Siege‘s in-game currency), which you can then use to unlock operators, weapon attachments, and more.

You can play through the Situations as many times as you like. If you think you’ve messed up, just restart and learn from your mistake. Along with Terrorist Hunt, these are great offline environments to get used to how the weapons handle, what the operators’ unique gadgets do, and the best way to approach various situations.

2. Learn the Maps

As a new player, your biggest disadvantage is that you don’t know the maps. That’s probably obvious and something you’re painfully aware of. This game is all about understanding your position compared to the enemy, knowing what angles to hold, and what you can destroy. You need to be aware of your surroundings and know where the enemy can come from. Are you in sight of a camera? What’s the quickest route for you to get to the objective? Can you safely rappel up that wall?

Chances are, a lot of your deaths occur because you are caught unaware. The ultimate way to combat this is to just keep playing. Nothing beats being in a real match, seeing how other people operate, and learning from your mistakes. However, there’s value in solo practice too. There are a couple of ways to do so.

First, you can jump into a Lone Wolf Terrorist Hunt and run around while killing enemies at the same time. Alternatively, create a custom private game on hostage mode, and kill the hostage when you want to switch sides. Roam the map, trying out all the different routes on a floor, and pay attention to where the stairs and ladders are. Be sure to note camera positions, too.

When you’re feeling more confident, turn your focus to the environment. Remember how rooms connect to one another — horizontally, but also vertically. Destructible environments are key in Rainbow Six, so take some shots and figure out what you can shoot through or open up to create new routes or line of sights.

You can get aid with this from the awesome resource R6Maps. Here, you can get a top-down view of every map and see the objective points, drone tunnels, hatches, and more.

That said, there are some operators who are more advanced than others. Caveria can quietly sneak around and interrogate people to reveal their teammates’ positions, but this requires keen map knowledge. Similarly, Pulse has a scanner which can detect heartbeats, but he’s best played when you know what is destructible. If you’re looking for some beginner-friendly operators, try Sledge and Ash on attack and Rook and Smoke on defense.

Assuming you don’t intend to spend real money, you can use Renown to purchase more operators. Renown is best earned by playing more matches and completing daily challenges. You’ll rack it up quickly without noticing, by which time you’ll have already begun mastering the operator you’ve been using. Then you can unlock another and do it again!

4. Adjust Your Loadout

There’s a variety of guns to choose from, including assault rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns. They all handle uniquely, deal different amounts of damage, and will react in a particular way once fired. Each operator has access to a particular set of weapons, and you can customize their design and attachments. The former purely because it’s fun to change the skin of your gun, while the latter has tactical benefits.

You can put different sights onto your gun, like an ACOG or red dot, to make aiming easier. You can also apply a grip to increase the speed at which your operator moves their gun from hip to sight. As you adjust your loadout, pay attention to the values like damage and recoil to see how your changes are impacting the weapon. No matter which gun you use, it’s important to remember that a headshot is always a one-bullet kill in this game. Aim for the head and you’ll take enemies down more efficiently.

It’s wise to adjust your loadout at the start of the round depending on the map and your intended play style. If on Plane, a tight map, you might want to take a shotgun for close range and aggressive combat. If you fancy being a bit more sneaky, perhaps you should equip the silenced pistol. It’s up to you how you play and you’ll soon work out what is best for you.

Absolutely everything you do makes a sound. There’s the obvious stuff like walking and rappelling, but consider that aiming down your sights or turning on the spot also emits noise. Different floors make different noise too, so walking on carpet is quieter than stepping on metal. Sometimes making a sound is unavoidable, but you can learn to adjust your movement based on what’s happening around you. A huge amount of gunfire? Time to sprint because chances are no one will hear it over the bullets.

If you hear something to your left or right, that doesn’t mean someone is on that side — it just means that’s your shortest route to get to them. Use this knowledge to your advantage to get the one-up over your opponent. For example, if you hear them deploy a drone, consider rushing for the kill. If you hear a breaching charge placed, shoot it off the window. Reckon there’s someone on the hatch above? Quickly chuck and detonate your C4.

6. Be Frugal With Drones

Drones are extremely useful and should be treated with care. If you use them effectively, you’ll know exactly where your enemy is and take them completely by surprise. Attackers get 45 seconds when the round starts to drone the map and hunt the objective.

However, remember that your four teammates are doing the same thing. Once the objective has been marked, look for the enemy characters and focus your drone on them for a few seconds. This will add their operator symbol to the top interface, allowing your team to know who they’re up against.

During this stage, do not spot the enemy with the red marker. Not only is the intel useless, since by the time you spawn everyone will have moved, but it’ll notify the defense that your drone is there and they’ll destroy it. Instead, move somewhere out of sight — perhaps in a shadowed corner or atop a cabinet, since your drone can jump. Use the drone holes and gaps beneath barricades to your advantage to quickly sneak between rooms. Now, when you start attacking, you’ll have that drone ready to go, plus an extra in your inventory for later use.

Drones are noisy and emit a red light when active. As a defender you need to make it a priority to pay attention to these signs and destroy drones as quickly as you can. You don’t want the attackers to have eyes on you. If you’re playing as Mute, get your Signal Disruptor gadget down as quickly as possible at round start, preferably near doors and drone holes. If you’re on attack and notice your drone view is getting distorted, consider turning around and approaching from another angle. Run completely into a Signal Disruptor and your drone will be useless until someone destroys the gadget.

7. Teamwork Is Everything

Rainbow Six Siege is not a game where you should go Rambo. Nine times out of ten, you’re better off sticking with the group. Each operator possesses a unique skill that compliments the team.

Let’s say you encounter a reinforced wall that is jammed by Mute. You can use Thatcher’s EMP grenades to get rid of the jammer, Thermite’s breaching charge to open the wall, then push through with Montagne’s shield and Sledge as Glaz snipes from a distance. If you’re own your own, you’re likely to get flanked or blocked off by the enemy and you’ll have no one to support you.

This is so much easier if you’re all using microphones to communicate to one another. Sure, you can type, but who has time to do that during a game as intense as this? Being able to quickly call out to your team is invaluable. Let them know that someone has breached the hatch above you, where a drone just came from, or that you’re about to plant the diffuser. It’s great to always play with the same people, since you’ll learn how everyone works and build your communication.

Buckle Up, Soldier!

With all of these tips under your belt, you’re now ready to jump into battle and destroy the enemy team! Remember, communication is king, so work together with your team and always be aware of your surroundings. That bullet could come from anywhere…

Joe started writing about technology when he was far too young and hasn't stopped. He spends most of his time obsessing over computer software and hardware, and loves talking about himself in third person. Ask me about Loom.